Random Things Of The Half-Human, Half-Demon Queen In Bible (11 items)

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  (#6) She's One Of History's Most Successful Single Mothers 

  After the Queen of Sheba gives birth to her son Menilek, she raises him on her own. By all accounts, she supports the boy as a single mother for more than two decades. When Menilek is 22, he ventures out on his own, returning to Israel to see his father.

  Arguably, the Queen of Sheba is the first figure to legitimize single motherhood in the ancient world. She doesn't need a man to take care of her or her child, something that is clear before her arrival in Israel. 
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  (#4) She's Sometimes Depicted As A Witch And A Djinn 

  In one Jewish and Arabian myth, the Queen of Sheba is a genie or djinn, a half-human, half-demon creature. As a demonic witch, she is associated with Lilith, Adam's first wife according to The Alphabet of Ben Sira. Lilith, the Queen of the Demons, also has origins in pre-Christian traditions and was vilified throughout the Middle Ages as a dangerous temptress.  

  Both Lilith and the Queen of Sheba are seductresses in Jewish tradition, but they are also celebrated as feminists. According to lore, Lilith and the Queen of Sheba are self-sufficient women who don't need men to support them, nor do they let men control their destinies.

  Jewish legend depicts the Queen of Sheba as an able ruler who demonstrates intelligence and cunning. Ethiopians also identify the Queen as one of the first rulers of the nation of Ethiopia. 
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  (#3) The Second Targum Of Esther Includes The Riddles Posed To Solomon

  In the Jewish tradition, there is a collection of homilies on the Book of Esther called the Targum Sheni, or Second Targum. The targum contains the questions the Queen of Sheba supposedly asks King Solomon to test his wisdom. 

  The first riddle asks, "What is a well of wood, a pail of iron which draws up stones and pours out water?" Solomon replies that it is a tube of makeup.

  The second riddle asks, "What is that which comes from the earth as dust, the food of which is dust, which is poured out like water, and which looketh toward the house?" Solomon chooses naphtha, a flammable oil.

  The final riddle asks, "What is that which precedeth all, like a general; which crieth loudly and bitterly; the head of which is like a reed; which is the glory of the rich and the shame of the poor, the glory of the [passed] and the shame of the living; the joy of the birds and the sorrow of the fishes?" The answer: flax.

  In other versions of the exchange between the Queen of Sheba and Solomon, she states, "Seven depart, nine enter; two pour, one drinks." The king responds, "Seven days of woman's uncleanness, nine months of pregnancy; two breasts of the mother at which the child is nourished."

  The Queen of Sheba then posits, "A woman saith unto her son, 'Thy father is my father, thy grandfather my husband; thou art my son; I am thy sister.'" The king's answer: "This mother is one of the daughters of Lot, who were with child by their father." 

  In every version, Solomon's answers are satisfactory to the queen. 
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  (#5) She May Have Given Birth To Solomon's Son

  After testing King Solomon, the Queen of Sheba stays with the king as his guest. In the Kebra Nagast, a 14th-century Ethiopian text, she warns Solomon not to touch her and he swears he won't. He tells her she mustn't take anything belonging to him and she agrees.

  Solomon tricks the queen, however, by leaving her water, which she drinks overnight. When Solomon accuses her of violating the terms of their agreement, she absolves him of his oath and "he worked his will with her, and they slept together." The Queen becomes pregnant, and during her trip back to her kingdom nine months later, she gives birth to a son named Bayna-Lehkem, better known as Menilek or "son of the wise man."

  When the boy is 12 years old, he asks his mother about his father.  She responds, "I am thy father and thy mother; seek not to know anymore." She tells him that his father is in a faraway place and that it would be difficult to get there. A decade later, the boy's curiosity leads him to Israel to meet his father. 
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  (#1) She's Often Depicted With Hairy Legs And The Foot Of A Goat

  According to Jewish legend, King Solomon hears about the mysterious Queen of Sheba's goat-like hairy leg. He wants to see it for himself and invites the queen to visit him. She resists at first, but ultimately decides to see Solomon in Jerusalem. When she arrives, she brings a large entourage, gifts, spices, and other luxurious goods.

  Solomon, still interested in the hairiness he's heard so much about, tricks the queen into showing him her disfigurement. In one version, the king observes the goat-like leg magically transform into a human leg as she walks across the floor in front of him, but in other tellings, he orders his servants to concoct a depilatory that the queen uses to get rid of the hair. After the queen applies the salve, most likely made of lime and arsenic, the king has relations with her.

  In some cultures, hair on a woman is associated with lesbianism or the Devil. At times, it's referenced to lessen the importance and power of a woman. In the Bible, hair often appears in the context of physical and intellectual prowess, although this association usually applies to men.
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  (#8) Her Encounter With Solomon Is Different In Every Text 

  The idea that Solomon manipulates the Queen of Sheba into showing him her hairy, goat-like leg first appears in rabbinic accounts and is included in later religious traditions. The Quran draws heavily on the Jewish version, describing how one of King Solomon's birds visits a mysterious kingdom where people worship the Sun, not the Lord. Solomon sends an invitation to the Queen, inviting her to submit to him. The Queen refuses and ships the king a gift for his kindness. Solomon responds by threatening to invade her kingdom, so she decides to visit him in person.

  In the Quran's version, the Queen of Sheba is tested when she arrives. Solomon steals her throne and installs it in a pavilion made of crystal. When asked if it's hers, she replies that it is. He instructs her to sit in it and, thinking she's about to step in water, raises her skirt to reveal her ankles. When she discovers her throne is actually surrounded by crystal, she is overwhelmed, and tells Solomon, "My lord, indeed I have wronged myself, and I surrender with Solomon to God, the Lord of all Being."

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